National Priorities Research Program (NPRP)

Overview

Objective of NPRP-STANDARD

The objective of the program is to competitively select research projects that will address national priorities through supporting basic and applied research as well as translational research/experimental development.

Through this NPRP-S cycle, QNRF intends to stimulate partnerships between academics and research end-users.

The NPRP-S aims to focus on meritorious research projects that demonstrate a potential impact on the development of Qatar’s society and economy with an emphasis on:

tackling needs and challenges that local research end-users face;

supporting projects with tangible impacts;

focusing on subjects that are highly promising in terms of commercial and technological potential;

promoting a public-private partnership culture in Qatar;

encouraging a more cross-cutting / interdisciplinary approach to projects;

stimulating scientific excellence and the advancement of knowledge in Qatar.

Description

The National Priorities Research Program (NPRP) is the main funding program of QNRF and the primary means by which QNRF seeks to support research that addresses Qatar’s needs. These needs have been specified as Grand Challenges in the Qatar National Research Strategy (QNRS) 2013 and QNRS 2014. QNRF established stakeholder committees to collect input into what are considered Priority Research Themes within those Grand Challenges.

Objectives of NPRP-CLUSTERS

Provide funding to tackle significant needs that are compelling enough to attract commitments of additional in-kind and in-cash resources from commercial, industrial and public sector end-users.

Engage the end-users in defining and directing multi-institutional and inter-disciplinary outcomes.

Responsiveness to Challenges

While Qatar is blessed with an abundance of wealth from its natural resources and has managed to accumulate a large amount of physical capital in a relatively short time, it faces challenges with respect to the development of human capital. The NPRP is assisting in this area by supporting the country's colleges and universities to attract, develop and retain skilled faculty members. The NPRP will also provide incentives for institutions to build the organizational infrastructure needed to support researchers.

Furthermore, the NPRP will help to build human capital through the promotion of knowledge and technology transfer, whilst encouraging collaboration with institutions outside of Qatar.

By funding research that will raise Qatar's profile within the international academic community, the NPRP will help to address the sense of geographical isolation felt by some researchers in Qatar, fostering a level of integration with the global research community, to the benefit of the researchers in Qatar and Qatar as a whole.

Potential Benefits

The benefits of the implementation of the NPRP will be both direct and indirect. Overall, it is envisaged that the people of Qatar will benefit through the long-term embracing of R&D. In addition to helping promote research that will directly benefit Qatar, the program will also provide indirect benefits by improving the reserve and quality of human capital in the country by attracting highly competent scientists, and thus convey prestige upon Qatar at an international level.

Research Office Inside Qatar

Q & A

I wish to register my interest in working in one of the submitted Proposals. How do I do this?

First you need to register as an applicant https://oss.qgrants.org If you are selected by the LPI as key investigator you will receive from the LPI an invitation to participate in your QNRF account, and then you can accept participation.

Are “Post-docs" eligible to participate as LPIs or PIs in NPRP cycle 12?

No, post-docs cannot act as LPI or PI, as they are required to be full-time appointed employees to participate as key investigators, in addition to the other eligibility criteria mentioned in the RFP. Hence, post-docs can only be included in the NPRP project as post-docs.

How can I register my name as a peer reviewer and my areas of expertise?

You can register as a peer reviewer through the following link https://pr.qgrants.org/. During registration you will be able to select your research area and sub research area plus other information required by us; you will also be requested to upload your CV. However, if you are already registered as an applicant, you need to submit a request through the support link to change your status from applicant to peer reviewer.

Can researchers from private, intergovernmental or NGO entities inside Qatar apply as Program Directors for NPRP-Clusters (NPRP-C)?

Yes, researchers from private, intergovernmental & NGOs entities inside Qatar can apply for NPRP-C as Program Directors. However, their institutions should register and be approved as a Research office (RO) with QNRF following the guidelines as mentioned in the “Research Office Guideline and Questionnaire Template” document at link

I am program Director, do I have to wait until my RO being approved to start preparing my NPRP-C application on Q-Grants?

No, once the institution register online as RO, you can start preparing the NPRP-C application on Q-Grants even if the RO registration is still in the approval process. RO registration must meet all the requirements and submitted to QNRF and identify an AROR to be able to vet the NPRP proposals at least a week before the RO vetting deadline. Otherwise, the application will not be considered for the next stage of evaluation.

Are institutions outside Qatar allowed to co-fund in-kind?

Is there a page limit on the proposal submitted?

Text throughout the offline proposal preparation using QNRF template should be Arial font, point size 11 and single spaced. The template margins (0.5" left, 0.5" right, 0.8" top and 0.8" bottom) must not be changed. The research plan may not exceed 40 pages excluding the cover page, table of contents and the references.

What are the maximum days of effort for KIs and research team members? (in the system it cannot exceed 365 days effort per year)

The maximum days of effort that can be added to a KI or research team member is up to one calendar year (365 days). However this should be pro-rata to his/her research effort in the project and according to his/her institutions policies.

How can I calculate the 20% indirect cost?

Total Budget= Direct Cost (DC) + Indirect Cost (IC)
If the Indirect cost in your institution is 20% of the direct cost then IC = 0.2*DC
To calculate IC from the Total cost it will be; IC= 0.1666*Total Budget

Get in touch

Qatar Foundation (QF) established Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) in 2006 as part of its ongoing commitment to establish Qatar as a knowledge-based economy. QF views research as essential to national and regional growth, as the means to diversify the nation’s economy, enhance educational offerings and develop areas that affect the community, such as health and environment.